Red Moon

The Sun turns red twice every day at rising and setting times, but few people notice it. It is a routine phenomenon. However, people whose ancestors were convinced that certain remarkable events in their lives were related to the Sun still worship the rising and setting Sun irrespective of its color. To me the Sun and the Moon symbolize thermodynamics and Optics or heat and pure light in simple English.

The Moon does not emit any light, cold or hot. It just reflects some of the light that impinges on its surface. If it reflects direct sunlight, it looks white with patches of grey. When it is illuminated by light reflected from Earth’s surface (oceans) it looks bluish. When it is illuminated by light reflected from the Martian surface, it looks reddish. The changing colors of the moon have nothing to do with terrestrial economics or politics.

Astronomy is a subject of study as ancient as nutrition and herbal medicine. The first astrolabes are said to have been built in Greece and Egypt before the dawn of the Christian era and the Muslim Spaniards and Iranians of about a thousand years ago had developed fairly scientific astrolabes and Celestial globes. It was just a matter of how much time one spent fingering his astrolabe to predict the celestial events of the future. Even a thousand year ago it could be calculated as to when the Earth, Moon and Mars will be in the required positions relative to the Sun to produce the Blood Moon effect by reflection of light from moon which was originally sunlight reflected by Mars.

Religious and nonreligious people alike who benefit from the worry and panic of the common people would exploit any unusual occurrence to their advantage. And if they can pretend to predict it, then they can trap a few weak minded people in their net of superstition.

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